Adjustable joint for garment stretchers



March 15, 1949. BLEHMAN 2;464,484

ADJUSTABLE JOINTWFOR GARMENT STRETCHERS Filed Feb. 9, 1945 i Z mmvrox.

Patented Mar. 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE ADJUSTABLE JOINT FOR GARMENT STRETCHERS I Irving Blechman, New York, N. Y.

Application February 9, 1945, Serial No. 576,950

2 Claims. (01. 287-58) The present invention relates to adjustable stretchers for clothing in general, the present embodiment being adapted for stretching skirts, trousers and the like. The specific object of the invention is to provide a garment stretcher composed of two primary members of metal or plastic in wire, strip or rod form, and so related as to be relatively movable toward and from each other, in combination with a simple and effective clamping element for the top and the bottom assembly whereby the primary members may be securely held in a juxtaposition. A further object of the invention is to so relate the adjustable members of the stretcher and the clamping slide that the bent lengths engaged by the clamp may be of straight line formation without the necessity of cam arrangements. A further object of the invention is to provide clamping means for holding the two relatively adjustable members of the stretcher, which clamping means will encompass the said members and will also provide wedge means intermediate adjacent lengths of the said two members for effecting the clamping action.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22, Fig. l.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the clamping element moved into active position whereby the two stretcher members at that area are securely clamped together.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view, in sectiqmthe section being taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that each major member of the stretcher consists of a length of wire, rod or strip, which may be of metal or plastic, bent substantially at right angles at its ends, to provide a longitudinal length l, a transverse length l-:r and a transverse length l-r:c.

These lengths will hereinafter be termed upper and lower lengths, with reference to their positions in Figure 1.

The said two major members are arranged with the two angular upper lengths and the two angular lower lengths in side by side sets, and the end of each angular length carries a sleeve 2 which embraces the adjacent angular length. Each sleeve may consist of a short strip welded or otherwise secured to its appropriate angular length at the end thereof. Thus, after the members are brought into abutment the short strips may be bent over so that they will encircle the assembly, as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3.

It will be noted that the angular lengths l--a:, l-zm: are straight line formations. To clamp them in adjusted position, I have provided a slide clamp 3 which carries one or more fingers 3-a:. The slide clamp encircles its appropriate angular lengths l-:t, la: or l-a:a:, l--x:c, as the case may be, and the finger or fingers 3-4: are disposed as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

In Figure 2 the slide clamp is positioned centrally of the members l-xm, I-wx, as to the length thereof. When, however, the slide clamp is moved to the position of Figure 3, or to the same point at the other end of the assembly, the two lengths l-mm, im will become wedged in the encircling sleeve 2 at the end of said lengths nearest the slide clamp and the members of the stretcher will be securely held in adjusted position. The same result will be had by corresponding movement of the slide clamp toward the opposite end of the structure.

In the present embodiment the slide clamp is a simple coil of wire, the ends of the wire being extended and bent into annular formation to serve as the clamp fingers.

From the above, it will be seen that movement of these slide clamps to the center of the associate angular lengths will free them from clamp action, whereas movement of the slide clamp to the right or to the left, until stopped against further movement by the wedging action previously described, will elTect the clamping action. Thus, to effect the holding of the two major members of the garment stretcher in adjusted position, it is unnecessary to do more than move the slide clamp to the right or to the left, and a quick release is obtained by a reverse motion in the same manner.

It will be understood that the form of the slide clamp may be widely varied from that illustrated in the drawings and that the various modifications may be made in the embodiment shown without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. An adjustable joint for garment stretchers consisting of two units, each unit comprising a relatively rigid elongated member having its opposite end sections angularly bent, the angularly bent sections of the stretcher, at each end thereof, being overlapped, a sleeve carried at the end area of each angularly bent section and receiving the other angularly bent section, and a slide clamp consisting of a coil embracing the said overlap sections, at least one end of the coil being bent so as to extend between said sections as a wedging finger.

2. An adjustable joint for garment stretchers consisting of two units, each unit comprising a relatively rigid elongated member having its opposite end sections angularly bent, the angularly bent sections of the stretcher, at each end thereof, being overlapped, a sleeve carried at the end area of each angularly bent section and receiving the other angularly bent section, and a slide clamp consisting of a coil embracing said sections, and having each end thereof bent into angular formations to form two wedging fingers, each finger lying between said sections.

IRVING BLECHMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 270,681 Knight Jan. 16, 1883 2,032,342 Albree Mar. 3, 1936 2,204,354 Hansen June 11, 1940 2,209,130 Mueller et a1 July 23, 1940 2,294,967 Eberhardt Sept. 8, 1942 

